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LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University football is set for its first home game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 12 p.m. against Central Connecticut. The Red Flash enter the game 1-0 in conference play, while the Blue Devils enter 0-1.
 
Offense
Freshman wide receiver Makai Jackson earned his third NEC Rookie of the Week honor in a row after he hauled in nine catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns against Norfolk State. He ranks second in the FCS with 8.8 receptions per game and fourth with 106.5 receiving yards per game. He is the only freshman in the top-50 in receiving yards per game and one of two freshmen in the top-70 in receptions per game. Wide receivers Dawson Snyder and Elijah Sarratt each recorded their first collegiate touchdown in the win over Norfolk State. Snyder is sixth in the NEC with 69.8 receiving yards per game and 10th with four catches per game. Quarterbacks Justin Sliwoski and Cole Doyle continued to split time through the first four weeks of the season. Sliwoski leads the team with 543 passing yards and Doyle has 427, while Doyle ranks second on Saint Francis with 144 rushing yards and Sliwoski is tied for third with 120. Both quarterbacks have thrown three touchdowns each and Sliwoski has rushed for two. Despite allowing three sacks at Norfolk State, the Red Flash offensive line is tied for 19th in the FCS with 1.25 sacks allowed per game.
 
Defense
Gregory Reddick earned his second NEC Prime Performer selection of the season after he produced his first two tackles for loss at Norfolk State. He continues to pace the NEC with 20 solo tackles and is third with 8.5 total tackles per game. Marcel Mami led Saint Francis with 10 tackles at Norfolk State, his third game of the season leading the team. He ranks seventh in the NEC with 7.5 total tackles per game. Travell Cook produced his first interception with Saint Francis and the team's second of the season at Norfolk State. He also ranks second on the team with two pass breakups and fourth with 22 total tackles. Donnell Brown took over the team lead with 4.5 tackles for loss after he recorded his second sack of the season at Norfolk State.
 
Special Teams
Brown earned NEC Prime Performer for the first time this season after he returned a fumbled punt snap for a 30-yard touchdown, which was the first score of his collegiate career. The play mark Saint Francis' first time scoring on a fumble since former player and current linebackers coach Ben Bruni recovered a fumble in the endzone on Sept. 1, 2018 against Lehigh. Alex Schmoke went 1-for-2 on field goal attempts and converted all-six of his extra points against Norfolk State. His eight converted field goals this season leads the NEC and punter Jordan Slaiby continues to pace the conference with 40.1 yards per punt.
 
Last Time Out
Saint Francis took a 45-26 victory over Norfolk State behind 501 total yards of offense, the team's first time over 500 yards since Sept. 2, 2017. Snyder opened the scoring for Saint Francis with a 26-yard touchdown reception on a fourth and 13. Brown followed on the ensuing defensive drive with a 30-yard fumbled punt snap recovery for a touchdown and Doyle hit Jackson on a 10-yard touchdown that gave Saint Francis a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Norfolk State stormed back with two straight touchdowns, but a failed extra point and two-point play only cut the deficit to 21-12. In the final two minutes of the half, Sliwoski scored on a 27-yard rush and Sarratt scored a 34-yard touchdown to open a 35-12 lead at the half. Norfolk State produced two second half touchdowns, around a 19-yard touchdown reception for Jackson, before Saint Francis sealed a dominant 45-26 victory.    
 
Scouting Central Connecticut
The Blue Devils enter Saturday's game 0-1 in conference and 0-4 overall, with losses to UConn, Sacred Heart, Southeastern Louisiana and UAlbany. Central Connecticut has lost all-four games by a combined 157-45, with a game-high 26 points at UAlbany. Running back Nasir Smith leads the offense with 64 rushes, 272 rushing yards, two touchdowns and adds nine receptions for 65 yards. He ranks second in the NEC with 68 rushing yards per game and his touchdowns are tied for third. Amongst eight qualified NEC quarterbacks, Central Connecticut's Romelo Williams is last with 110 passing yards per game and has no touchdowns and four interceptions. Limited to just 20 pass attempts, quarterback Shon Mitchell has three touchdown passes and no interceptions. Mitchell saw the bulk of his game action against UAlbany, when he went 7-for-16 with 116 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Chizurum Umunakwe and Jahlil Brown each rank top-four in the NEC with 8.8 and 8.3 total tackles per game, respectively. Brown adds a conference-high two fumble recoveries. Luquay Washington is tied for sixth in the NEC with 2.5 sacks this season. Umunakwe, safety Jonathan Cabral-Martin and offensive lineman Craig Woods were all named to the All-NEC Preseason team. Umunkwe was a 2021 All-NEC Second Team selection.

All-Time vs. Central Connecticut
Central Connecticut owns a 23-5 all-time advantage over Saint Francis since the first matchup in 1993. The Blue Devils are on a current four-game winning streak, though the last two games were decided on the final possession. Prior to the streak, Saint Francis won two straight matchups by a combined 19 points. After Saint Francis won the inaugural meeting 29-27 in 1993, Central Connecticut went on a 11-game winning streak between 1994-2004. The Red Flash have earned four of their five all-time victories at home.

Around the NEC
Only five NEC teams were in action last weekend, with Saint Francis, Sacred Heart and Merrimack all earning wins. Sacred Heart defeated Dartmouth 38-31 behind 103 rushing yards and three touchdowns from All-America running back Malik Grant. Saint Francis defeated Norfolk State 45-26, while Merrimack handled Delaware State 26-13. LIU lost to former NEC member Bryant 31-29 on a last-second field goal by the Bulldogs. LIU's kicker Michael Coney was named FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week with his NEC single-game record-tying five converted field goals. Central Connecticut fell 45-26 and dropped to 0-4 on the season. This weekend, there are three total NEC matchups between Saint Francis and Central Connecticut, Duquesne and Stonehill and Liu and Merrimack.
 
Jackson Earns Third Straight NEC Rookie of the Week, Three Named Prime Performers
Jackson was named NEC Rookie of the Week for the third time in a row, while Reddick earned his second Prime Performer of the season and Brown earned his first. Jackson now owns six major NEC weekly awards and one major FCS weekly award through the first four games of his collegiate career.
 
Next
Saint Francis has its bye week before they return to action at LIU on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 1 p.m.